SOCOM introduces NeuroTracker for commandos

The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) recently spoke about their plans to deploy CogniSens‘ NeuroTracker system in order to “improve situational awareness, multiple target tracking and decision making efficiency of soldiers as it relates to combat.” The NeuroTracker is definitely not the first computer-based training system for the military, but it does boast of being the first one of its kind which does not have anything to do with simulated combat environments. Basically, the idea of the NeuroTracker is this – the user will sit in front of a 3D screen that shows off eight moving balls, where one will then be instructed to follow four of the balls for eight minutes, as the other four will remain as decoys.

The game continues by being more and more complex, not to mention moving even faster than ever before. The whole idea of the game is that “the brain structurally rewires itself if stimulated intensively and repeatedly…the same way muscle cells improve with physical conditioning.” Right now, NeuroTracker is being used by some NHL and NFL teams so that their players are able to improve their perceptual-cognitive abilities on the ice/field. It would be interesting to see what kind of performance increase SOCOM’s elite would gain from the employment of the NeuroTracker.